Blazing Ashes
by xShadowSteel
Summary: Percy Jackson found an... unpleasant surprise on the beach. He runs off into a forest, to live life alone. 3 years later, that all changes. He was discovered and taken to Olympus by Artemis, and the comforting life he lived is now over. The Olympians won't leave him in his solitude, and he makes a decision that will forever change his life.
1. Betrayed

**A/N**

This is my first time writing a story, so please don't be too critical. Feedback is greatly appreciated and if you are going to criticize the story, please tell me what is wrong with it and how it can be improved. Don't just say "This story is terrible and a waste of time", tell me why, and how I can improve it. Also, before you even begin to say that it is a terrible story, create your own and make sure it is better than this one. Then, you can call it terrible.

Also, I haven't finished reading PJO, so don't be too upset if I mess up with a description or personality.

 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own PJO (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) or HOO (Heroes of Olympus). All rights go to Rick Riordan.

 **Legend:**

 _Italic:_ Thoughts/Communication Through Telepathy/Flashback

 **Bold:** New Category/Time Skip/Important (i.e. **A/N** , **Chapter X** , **X Years Later, Flashback,** etc.)

Underlined: Important/New POV (i.e. "He needs to do it", Percy's POV, Artemis' POV, etc.)

(Brackets): Explanation or author note.

 **Prologue**

Third Person's POV

The camp was in ruins. Fire was quickly spreading, nearing the cabins, the arena, the armory, and even the Amphitheater. Embers were flying everywhere among the frightened demigods, who were desperately trying to save their home that they had come to love. In the distance, someone could be seen yelling, no, screaming at 2 people, the flames increasing in intensity with every word he spoke. The person was completely oblivious to the scene around him, and the 1 demigod at a pine tree close to half-blood hill. On the tree, was the Golden Fleece. The item that protected the camp and shielded it from the multitude of monsters, waiting for the chance to sink their teeth into the delicate demigod flesh. The demigod wore a silver tiara upon her head, marking her as the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. Thalia. She was putting out the flames at a speed that most could only dream of reaching, but the flames were still making headway. The flames kept getting closer to the tree, when water suddenly doused them. She turned around to see Peleus with a bucket of water. She sighed in relief knowing that the dragon was helping her, and turned back towards the flames to put them out. However, the flames weren't being pushed back even with the help of Peleus. Right before the flames engulfed the tree, rain started pouring down. The flames were instantly put out sparing the camp. There was no visible damage to the buildings, only the ground was burnt, but water was now pouring down in buckets. The rain was falling hard, when a cold wind picked up, whipping dust into the demigod's faces. The person who was yelling at the 2 people was running away. It was a young boy, and his face was a mixture of rage, disbelief and sadness, tears streaming down his cheeks. He walked into the Poseidon cabin and slammed the door. A few minutes later, unseen to the eyes of all others, he slipped out of the cabin and out of camp.

 **3 Years Later**

 **Chapter 1**

Percy's POV

I had just finished killing a group of monsters with Riptide and my new sword, Oblitus (Latin for "Forgotten"). In the distance, I could make out the area that Camp Half-Blood was located in. _They'll probably be happier without me._ I thought bitterly, remembering Annabeth. I remembered that night clearly, like it happened just yesterday.

 **Flashback**

Percy's POV

 _I had finally gained Athena's permission to marry her after doing a series of trials. Today was the day that I was finally going to propose to Annabeth. I took a black case out of my pocket and opened it. Inside was a ring. It had a silver band with a sea green gem. The words "To Last a Thousand Years" were inscribed on the band. It looked perfect. I had Hephaestus forge it for me before I had asked Annabeth to meet me at Fireworks Beach. When I got there, I saw her with another boy. Martin Clepta. He was a son of Zeus and had arrived a few days ago. He was kind and outgoing; easily accepted by the other campers. He looked curious when he saw me, as if wondering what was going to happen. He then looked at Annabeth, clearly wondering why he was here. When Annabeth saw me, she walked towards me slowly, grabbing Martin's hand. She looked at me with a face full of regret._

 _"Percy, I have to tell you something," she said._

 _"What is it?" I inquired. "I have something that I want to ask you afterwards as well."_

 _She sighed, and looked at me._

 _"Percy, I want you to know that I'm dating Martin," she said pulling Martin closer to her. "We're breaking up."_

 _I just stared at her, devastated, and that's when hell broke loose._

 **Flashback End**

Percy's POV

I don't remember anything after when she told me that we were breaking up. I just found myself running away. It really hurt me, being ditched by Annabeth. I really thought that we had a connection. On top of that, my fatal flaw is loyalty, which increased the pain tenfold. At first, I didn't see why loyalty is a fatal flaw, but I know now. In fact, I wish that I still didn't know why loyalty is a fatal flaw. I packed up my camp and walked through the forest trying to clear my thoughts of that incident.

As I exited the forest and neared the city, I saw a girl with electric blue eyes being beaten by her father. Probably a daughter of Zeus. As I continued to watch, her mother was trying to get the father to leave the little girl alone, but in the process, the man hit her in the head with a beer bottle. Just watching the scene enraged me. It was very similar to my life, with my abusive step-father. No one deserved to go through what I did, and that girl definitely didn't deserve it. I sprinted towards the house as fast as I could and broke down the door, swords in hand. You see, Oblitus is created by a mix of many metals, including mortal ones, enabling me to kill them with it. I had riptide just in case I needed it to defend myself from the man. I could hear the man running down the stairs to see what had happened, so I hid in the corner. He looked around and as he neared my hiding spot, I could literally smell the liquor coming off his breath. The man scanned over the area briefly, then went back upstairs. I silently followed, and what I saw was worse than what I originally thought. The girl appeared to be only 5 years old, covered with cuts, bruises and a couple of scars. The mother was on the floor, blood pooling around her body. There were shards of glass around her. When I looked more carefully, I saw that the blood came from a wound in her head. I tried getting a better look, just before a shot rang out. I looked up from my spot behind the door, and saw the man with a pistol in his hand. Smoke was coming out from the barrel. I looked back towards the mother to see a bullet in her head. I completely lost it.

I ran up and smashed the man's head with my fist, before slowly heating up his blood to a boil. It was a new technique that I learned while alone. A human's body is 60% water, which means that I could control the water inside of them. I was glaring at the man as he buckled over in pain, his blood now boiling. He was screaming, and when he finally stopped, I saw the girl looking at me fearfully. I suddenly realized what I had just done.

"Shhh… It's alright. I'm here to help, " I whispered to her as I cut the ropes binding her to a chair.

"How… how can I trust you?" She sobbed, obviously scared out of her wits. "You're the man that he was selling me to"

I froze. "You were being sold away to someone?" I asked. She merely nodded her head. I grew angrier, but forced myself to be calm.

"I'm not that person," I said. "I'm here to help you. My name is Percy. Do you know about the Greek Gods? You know, Zeus, Poseidon, Artemis, those people?"

"M-my name i-is… C-Crystal," she stuttered. "Also, I've heard about them. But they're just myths. They aren't real."

"Hmm… well, they are actually real. I didn't believe it at first either, but they are," I confessed. "Your father is a man named Zeus. Now, you have a choice. You can go to a group known as the Hunters of Artemis and swear off the company of men, or go to Camp Half-Blood where there are other men."

"I… I want to go to… the Hunters of Artemis," Crystal answered. "I don't trust males, the ones that I have met are abusive like my father, or don't consider the perspective of females. But you're different. Will I see you again?"

"You may from time to time… If I'm not shot at," I mused. "Anyways, I'll take you to them now"

 _If I can find them._

"Ok… thanks!" She shouted joyfully. I looked at her again and remembered cuts all over her body.

"Wait!" I called grabbing a bottle of water. "Let me heal your wounds"

I poured the water on her cuts and she watched intrigued as they closed up, and all evidence of them had disappeared.

"Alright, now we can go," I said, grabbing her hand and ran off into the forest. I found the hunters quickly, they were camping not too far from where I found Crystal.

"Okay, Crystal, go into their camp and look for a pretty lady with auburn hair and silver eyes. Tell her that you want to join." I ordered her. "Also, don't mention my name."

"Sure… but why?"

"I… uh… Let's just say that I'm not on good terms with them."

"Alright, I will and I won't," Crystal told me before running off into the camp. I looked at her from the bushes before heading off in a different direction.

Artemis' POV

My hunters were exhausted after our fight with a group of monsters. We were tracking a Hydra when we were ambushed and it turned around to fight us. We managed to kill them all without losing a single hunter, but many were injured in the fight. Camp was just set up when I saw a little girl who appeared to be 5 years old and a daughter of Zeus. She was looking around and then ran to me.

"I would like to join the hunt," she said. I studied her carefully.

I looked at her curiously before responding.

"Before I let you join; I have a few questions. How did you find us, why do you want to join, and how do you know that you're a demigod?" I questioned her. I could tell that she is a demigod because of her electric blue eyes, but she was only 5 years old. How would she be able to know?

"To answer your first question, I was brought here by someone. I want to join because almost all of the males that I have seen are abusive, egomaniacs, selfish, or are spoiled brats. I was told that I am a demigod by the person who brought me here. Unfortunately, I haven't had any practice with weapons," Crystal answered.

"Who is that person who brought you here?" I inquired, deciding that she could be taught how to use a bow and hunting knives.

"I don't know his name. He just explained to me the concept of gods, told me about demigods, and brought me here," Crystal said, her eyes not meeting mine.

"You're lying to me," I hissed, glaring at her.

"I… uh… he… h-he told me not to tell anyone his name," Crystal stammered, cowering and appearing to want to run away from my glare.

"Why is that?" I asked her, my look softening.

"He said that he wasn't well liked by you or your hunters. He appeared to be kind to me though, unlike all the other males that I've met." She admitted.

I looked her in the eye, but she appeared not to be lying. I sighed. It wouldn't hurt to get more hunters, but I will keep my eye on her.

"Okay, I will let you join the hunt. Now, you can swear an oath to me and become immortal when you reach an age that you want to stay at. I understand if you don't want to appear 5 years old for the rest of your life. When you do become immortal, it will be partial immortality, meaning you can still die in battle. I will also give you my blessing."

"That sounds great!" She exclaimed, relieved that I hadn't turned her away. "My name is Crystal."

"Okay Crystal, let me introduce you to the hunt," I told her. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Artemis."

I turned to face my hunters.

"Alright girls, pay attention!" I shouted, getting their attention. "This girl is Crystal, and she will be joining our hunt."

The hunters nodded their heads, some of them saying hello.

"Please continue with your duties," I finished. "Also, Carol, please show her around. I have to go to Olympus."

I turned to Thalia.

"Thalia, you're in charge," I told her before vanishing in a flash of silver. I arrived at the Throne Room where the other Olympians were. I sat upon my throne and Zeus started talking.

"I see that everyone is here, so we will now begin the meeting," he declared. "Now, as you all are aware, Perseus Jackson, the hero of Olympus has disappeared. We originally predicted that he would return to Camp Half-Blood within 2 years, as that is how long it usually takes him to cool down from a serious incident. However, it has been 3 years since he disappeared, and I want the Hunters of Artemis to search for him. Also, if any gods find him in their domain, I want you to tell me so that we can ask him why he disappeared."

I grimaced. I didn't want to have to spend my time searching for a male. However, Perseus was the only male that earned my respect, and I wanted to know what happened to him. He was the only decent male alive, and I wouldn't let him die.

"Any questions?" Zeus asked, but was met with silence. "Very well then, Artemis, begin immediately, and everyone else, go back to attending your duties."

I was about to flash out when Poseidon looked at me, obviously wanting to talk to me, so I stayed. After everyone else left, he approached me.

"Artemis, Percy is my only son, I do not want him to be miserable," he explained. "Please try to find him quickly, I don't want to lose him."

"I will uncle. Please don't worry so much," I reassured him. "I have to go and tell the hunt that we will be searching for Perseus."

He nodded, and I flashed away.

"Girls!" I shouted, and they all gathered in front of me. "I have something to tell you. We have been assigned by my father, Zeus, to search for the hero of Olympus, Perseus Jackson."

I heard some of the girl's groans, but Thalia was shocked. She obviously thought that Perseus was still at Camp Half-Blood.

"I know that you may be wondering why we have to look for him, but he has saved Olympus twice and his father Poseidon is very worried," I explained. "Pack up the camp. We are leaving now."

They all sighed and set to work, but Thalia walked up to me.

"How long has Percy been missing for?" She demanded. I sighed.

"Let's discuss this in my tent," I replied.

"So?" She asked when we entered it.

"He has been missing for three years," I muttered.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She screamed. "You know how much I care about him! I thought he was safe in Camp Half-Blood!"

"I'm sorry it's just that we thought that he would be back by now," I confessed. "He usually just takes a break from camp before returning."

Thalia sighed.

"What happened?" She asked me.

"I'm not sure…" I responded hesitantly. "I think… I think that it might have something to do with Annabeth and be along the lines of breaking up."

"It can't be…" she said. "Annabeth loves him. She would never abandon him. It must have been something else."

"His main flaw is loyalty Thalia," I sighed. "Only someone that he was really loyal to could cause him so much pain that he feels the need to leave the camp. Annabeth is the person that he is most loyal to, and when he left camp, none of his other close friends were there. Dionysus also says that he saw her with that Martin kid. Anyways, let's just get started on our hunt. You can ask him questions when we find him."

"Of course, Lady Artemis," Thalia replied, before leaving my tent to pack up. I sighed. _This will probably take a long time. Percy will be hard to track down with all the experience he has. Although, he will never be stealthier than a bull in a China shop._ The girls finished packing quickly. All we had to do was remove all evidence of our presence here. _Perseus Jackson… I_ _ **will**_ _find you._ The hunt had started.

 **A/N**

So what do you think of it so far? Please review. Also, would you rather me make the stories shorter and post them faster, or keep them how they are? It will most likely be a Pertemis story, mostly because Artemis is one of my favourite goddesses, and I really don't like Annabeth. Their romance will be very gradual. Not going to rush it, so don't expect them to make out anytime soon.

Shorter chapters will be around 700 - 1000 words. Longer ones will be 2000+ like this one.

I will hopefully release the next chapter before March Break ends. After that, I won't be releasing chapters as quickly as I will be busy with homework.

Remember, feedback is greatly appreciated and if you are going to criticize the story, please tell me what is wrong with it and how it can be improved. Give an example as well. Don't just say "This story is terrible and a waste of time", tell me why, how I can improve it, and give me an example of what you want me to do. Also, before you even begin to say that it is a terrible story, create your own and make sure it is better than this one. Then, you can call it terrible.

Cya guys later.

xShadowSteel logging off.


	2. A Fresh Start

**A/N**

Hey guys, back with another chapter. Sorry for taking so long. I've currently done Artemis' POV and Percy's POV. If you want me to add another POV, review and tell me who's POV you want me to add.

Still not finished reading PJO, so don't be too upset if I mess up with a description or personality.

 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own PJO (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) or HOO (Heroes of Olympus). All rights go to Rick Riordan.

 **Legend:**

 _Italic:_ Thoughts/Telepathic Communication/Flashback

 **Bold:** New Category/Time Skip/Important (i.e. **A/N** , **Chapter X** , **X Years Later, Flashback,** etc.)

Underlined: Important/New POV (i.e. "He needs to do it", Percy's POV, Artemis' POV, etc.)

(Brackets): Explanation or author note.

 **Previously**

Artemis' POV

"His main flaw is loyalty Thalia," I sighed. "Only someone that he was really loyal to could cause him so much pain that he feels the need to leave the camp. Annabeth is the person that he is most loyal to, and when he left camp, none of his other close friends were there. Dionysus also says that he saw her with that Martin kid. Anyways, let's just get started on our hunt. You can ask him questions when we find him."

"Of course, Lady Artemis," Thalia replied, before leaving my tent to pack up. I sighed. _This will probably take a long time. Percy will be hard to track down with all the experience he has. Although, he will never be stealthier than a bull in a China shop._ The girls finished packing quickly. All we had to do was remove all evidence of our presence here. _Perseus Jackson… I_ _ **will**_ _find you._ The hunt had started.

 **Chapter 2**

Annabeth's POV

It had been 3 years since Percy had disappeared. I was beginning to get worried; he was still my friend and someone that I cared about, even though I dumped him for Martin. Everything was going well for me. I had made up with Martin and we were still going steady, although he was constantly asking me about Percy. I told him that it was fine, and that he just needed to cool off, but I knew that I would have to tell him sooner or later. It was my fault that he disappeared, and I kept thinking back to that night, and when Martin had arrived.

 **Flashback**

Annabeth's POV

 _A new kid named Martin Clepta had arrived. He barely managed to escape the clutches of 2 hellhounds, but fortunately for him, Percy and I were there. We quickly took the 2 hellhounds out, and brought him to Chiron. He appeared to be 15 years old, and was badly injured he was rushed to the medical tent_ (Is there a special name for this or something?) _immediately. He recovered quickly and was released 3 days later. He thanked me and Percy for saving him, and was very nice. I was immediately attracted to him, even though I was already with Percy. I decided to bury those feelings deep down, not wanting to hurt Percy's feelings. I was spending a lot of time with Martin. He was funny, nice, cheerful and relaxed. Very thoughtful as well, and he also spent a lot of time training with me so that he could improve. It was going well and I was having fun with him and Percy, when Percy suddenly disappeared. I thought that he would be back soon even though he always ignored my Iris messages, but 1 year had already passed by. I thought that he might've abandoned me for another girl, or been killed, so I decided to pursue Martin._

 _I started flirting with him, and eventually he asked me about Percy. I told him that we were just friends, and 3 days later, he asked me out. It was one of the best days of my life. He had taken me to an expensive dinner, making sure that we had potions to mask our scent from monsters. Afterwards, he took me to see a movie and then we strolled down the park. We were going steady for a year, when everything flipped upside down. Percy came back._

 _I knew that I had to tell him that we were breaking up. He had disappeared for 2 years, and never communicated with me, how could he expect me to stay hopeful and expect him to come back? When he asked me to go to the beach, I decided that I should go with Martin to tell Percy that we're breaking up. Martin seemed a little confused, but he still came along. He was even more confused when he saw Percy, and wondered what was going on. I took in a deep breath, grabbed his hand and walked up to Percy._

 _"We're breaking up," was all I remember saying, when flames sprouted everywhere._

 _Flames suddenly engulfed the field, quickly spreading to camp. I vaguely noticed the campers trying to put them out. Percy was yelling at me._

 _"How could you do this to me?!" he screamed. "I jumped into_ _ **Tartarus**_ _for you, and you just dump me for this… this… this jerk?!"_

 _I was visibly cringing, but he didn't seem to notice. He was furious. I noticed the flames again._ Why are there flames? He doesn't have control over fire.

 _"Do you know why I disappeared Annabeth?" I heard Percy say. "It was for you! All so that I could get you damned mother's approval to propose to you. But you know what? You ruined it. I had a ring and everything, but you decided to cheat on me, to ruin it just to be with_ _ **him**_ _."_

 _I saw him turn to face Martin._

 _"I thought that you were better than this," he hissed, disappointed. "Above stealing someone's girlfriend while they're gone. I guess that I was wrong. Have fun."_

 _The flames instantly dissipated and rain started pouring down as Percy ran away. I just stared at him in shock. Martin looked at me._

 _"What was that?" he asked me. "You never told me that you were dating him."_

 _I opened my mouth, then closed it, finding that it no longer was working. He sighed._

 _"You know what? Tell me later. I have to go mend a relationship," he spat before running after Percy._

Martin's POV

 _I was on my way home from school when I saw my mother on the floor, claw marks all over her face. I gasped and checked for a pulse. I found nothing. I wept silently, desperately wanting her to come back. At the same time, I was furious. I would kill whoever or whatever killed her. When I looked up, I saw my father open the door. He opened his mouth to speak when his face contorted into a mask of pain. He looked behind him, then collapsed. I saw five dog like creatures at the door. Unlike any that I had seen before. I grabbed my baseball bat and held it up. I swung it at the first one, knocking it to the side, but it did no visible damage. I decided that I was better off running when one of my friends jumped into my house and sliced open one of the creatures in half. He normally wore crutches so I was shocked to see him without them. With donkey legs too! He tossed me a sword and I used it to defend myself from another one of the hounds. I saw him get bitten by one of the creatures, so I quickly stabbed it in the head, watching it disappear into golden dust. My friend smiled and gave me a map._

 _"Run," he told me. "Go to the place on the map. Camp Half-Blood. I'll stall them out here."_

 _I ran, as fast as I could. The camp was around 5 kilometers away from my house. I had the best stamina in the school, so I was pretty sure that I would be able to make it._

 _I traveled around 200 meters when I heard the scream. It was loud, and I looked back to see my friend, captured in the jaws of those insipid beasts. I was enraged, but I knew that I had to run. Otherwise, I would be making his sacrifice meaningless. I could hear their paws on the pavement and their loud barks. They were gaining on me. I guessed that I was 1 kilometer away from the camp. It slowly came into view, and I thought I would be able to make. That's when one of the creatures pounced on me. It sank its teeth deep into my leg. I screamed in pain, my vision growing blurry, but I fought it off. I used the sword that my friend gave me and tried to stab the hound. I saw the other two catching up, and I just managed to stab the first in the throat, causing it to disintegrate into gold dust. I had gained multiple injuries, and tried running away. I shouted, trying to get someone's attention. Just as I thought I was going to die, 2 figures jumped out from the sides, slicing the creatures in half and killing them instantly. The last thing I saw was a beautiful girl, hovering over me, concern etched into the lines of her face._

 _I woke up 3 days later, and found myself fully healed. One of the… uh… doctors? One of the doctors told me that I could leave. I asked around, trying to find the 2 people who saved me. A guy who was… uh… half horse and half human pointed me towards them. He said his name was Chiron or something. When I found the 2 people who saved me, I thanked them, and took a liking towards them both. I was especially attracted towards the girl, but it appeared that she was an item with the guy. They said that their names were Annabeth and Percy. I spent a lot of time with them. Percy helped me train, and Annabeth gave me tips and advice on strategy._

 _I had been at the camp for a couple months when Percy suddenly disappeared. He left me a note. It read:_

Dear Martin,

I will be gone for a while, but when I come back, it'll be with either good news or bad news. Tell Annabeth not to look for me. Also, I won't be able to communicate with any of you. Remember to continue your training. Give Annabeth my regards, and tell her that I'm sorry, but it's for the better.

Your friend,

Percy.

 _I was confused by his letter, but showed it to Annabeth. She looked shocked. She decided to respect his wishes and continued to train me by herself. She was actually very good with combat. I originally thought that Percy was the fighter, and Annabeth made the plans. This continued for around a year, and my bond with Annabeth grew._

 _I planned to ask her out, but I first asked her what her relationship with Percy was, not wanting to intrude. She said that they were just friends. It became obvious that they weren't_ _ **just**_ _friends later, but I believed her at that moment. I asked her out 2 days later, and she, to my pleasure, said yes. I was overjoyed, and made plans. The date went well. I took her out to an expensive dinner after making sure that our scent was masked. After, I took her to a movie then down to the park. It was wonderful. Our relationship was strong and steady, when Percy came back. He asked her to go down to the beach, and she decided to drag me along as well. I was confused by this, as I didn't think that I should be there. Percy didn't ask me, after all._

 _When he got there, Annabeth grabbed my hand and walked up to him._

 _"Percy, I have to tell you something," she said._

 _"What is it?" he inquired. "I have something that I want to ask you afterwards as well."_

 _She sighed, and looked at him._

 _"Percy, I want you to know that I'm dating Martin," she said pulling me closer to her. "We're breaking up."_

 _I had no idea what was going on. He just stared at her, devastated, and that's when hell broke loose. Fire sprouted everywhere, and I saw his wrath. It became apparent that they were dating, when I intruded. I realized that she had lied, probably thinking that Percy wasn't coming back. He rage was suddenly redirected towards me, but it had lessened._

 _"I thought that you were better than this," he hissed, disappointed. "Above stealing someone's girlfriend while they're gone. I guess that I was wrong. Have fun."_

 _The flames instantly dissipated and rain started pouring down as Percy ran away. I watched him in shock, then turned to face Annabeth._

 _"What was that?" I asked her. "You never told me that you were dating him."_

 _I saw her open her mouth, then closed it, finding that it no longer was working. I sighed._

 _"You know what? Tell me later. I have to go mend a relationship," I spat before running after Percy._

 _I couldn't find him, and wondered where he had gone. I asked a bunch of others, but they were too busy putting out the flames. When I got to this girl who had the same eyes as me and spiky black hair, she said that she saw him leave the camp, appearing to want to get something._

 **Flashback End**

Percy's POV

Not too long ago, I had helped Crystal get to the Hunters of Artemis. I was concerned, wondering if she was accepted. I sighed. She had been on my mind lately. Due to the fact that her life was so similar to mine, I wanted to make sure that the rest of her life went as smoothly as possible. It was constantly nagging at my brain, so I decided to go find the hunters and figure out if she was accepted. She probably won't take the oath because she's so young, most likely meaning that she was with others who were the same age as her. _Guess I'll have to look for the tent that contains the little girls. Hopefully I will be able to see them from afar. Confronting them won't end will for me._ I set out to find them.

When I got to their original spot, they weren't there. There wasn't even evidence that they had set up camp in that area. I sighed. I'm not a good tracker like Artemis or any of her hunters, so I would have a hard time finding them. The first time was just dumb luck. I could use more of that. I set off in a random direction, hoping to come across them soon. As I walked, I saw something glint in the sunlight. It was a bracelet, with intricate designs on it. A moon and several stars were designed on it. All of it was silver. I stared at it for a few moments, wondering who it belonged to, before it hit me. It was Artemis' or one of her hunters' ring. I pocketed it, knowing that I should return it to them, and also grateful since I know knew that I was heading in the right direction. I think.

I spent an hour looking for them. No trail, no other items, nothing. I sighed. I wasn't going to find them anytime soon. Makes me wish that I had the ability to fly. Just as I was about to set up camp, I remembered that Artemis gave off a glow in the moonlight, which would hopefully help me in finding them. I trudged forward, when I saw a footprint. When I got closer, I realized that it belonged to a monster. I looked up, to see a lot more monster footprints. I decided to follow their trail as this was a large group of monsters. I knew that I couldn't allow them to attack Camp Half-Blood or Artemis' hunters.

As I neared a clearing I heard sounds of battle. I rushed over to the area to see Artemis and her hunters fighting an abnormally large group of 500 or so monsters. The hunters were mowing them down quickly, but there were too many. It was only a matter of time before they were overrun. I rushed into the fight, both swords out.

Artemis' POV

We were ambushed by a large group of monsters. I had to kill them quickly so that I could inform my father of the upcoming threat. This was no coincidence. However, I knew that without backup we would soon be overrun. All we could do was try to kill as many as we could. The monsters kept advancing despite our efforts, when a figure suddenly dashed into the fight. _Stupid person. They'll just get killed._ I redirected my arrows to that area, seeing if I could help the figure when I saw the monsters around him instantly shatter into gold dust. The person was killing the monsters so quickly that even I had a hard time keeping up with him. Within a matter of seconds, the figure had cleared the area he was in. However, the remaining monsters now focused on him instead of us. I saw the figure smirk right before dashing into the fray. I was shooting my arrows as fast as I could to assist the person, but it appeared that I didn't need to help. The figure turned to face me and my hunters, and I saw his raven black hair, and sea-green eyes. I gasped. That person was Perseus Jackson. The one that I was hunting.

"Perseus Jackson," I growled. "You're coming with me."

"Hey, I just saved your life. I don't think that you're in a position to make demands," he laughed. "Besides, I just wanted to make sure that Crystal was accepted into the hunt, and return this."

He pulled out a silver bracelet and gave it to me. I didn't recognize it. It didn't belong to me, or my hunters as far as I knew.

"What is this?" I questioned. "I have never seen it before."

I saw my hunters nodding in agreement.

"I thought that it was yours. You know, the silver, the moon and all those stars," he explained, frowning. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely," I said tossing it back to him. "Regardless, you're coming with me. Don't you realize how much trouble you caused by disappearing?"

"Not really… I… I just didn't feel like being at camp," he muttered.

"Save the explanations for when we're on Olympus," I told him, grabbing his hand. He looked shocked. "Close your eyes," I said before disappearing in a silvery flash.

Percy's POV

Killing the monsters was easier than I expected. I was used to close ranged combat and dealing with swarms, so their numbers weren't as effective against me. I just finished killing the monsters when I turned to face Artemis and her hunters. Artemis gasped, her face displaying relief and concern before morphing back into her usual, cold-hearted demeanor.

"Perseus Jackson," she growled. "You're coming with me."

"Hey, I just saved your life. I don't think that you're in a position to make demands," I laughed. "Besides, I just wanted to make sure that Crystal was accepted into the hunt, and return this."

I pulled out a silver bracelet out of my pocket and gave it to her. She looked confused, but I didn't notice at first. I just smiled, thinking that I might have returned something important to her or one of her hunters.

"What is this?" She questioned. "I have never seen it before."

I frowned. I thought that it belonged to her or one of her hunters for sure.

"I thought that it was yours. You know, the silver, the moon and all those stars," I explained, frowning. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely," she said tossing it back to him. "Regardless, you're coming with me. Don't you realize how much trouble you caused by disappearing?"

"Not really… I… I just didn't feel like being at camp," I muttered, thinking back to Annabeth and Martin.

"Save the explanations for when we're on Olympus," she told me, grabbing my hand. I was surprised and too shocked to voice a complaint. "Close your eyes," she said, and when I did so, we disappeared in a silvery flash.

Poseidon's POV

I was sitting in Atlantis wondering where Percy was before I saw Zeus' masterbolt shoot into the sky, signaling an emergency meeting. I sighed. I wasn't in a mood to go and attend a meeting, but Zeus would complain bitterly if I didn't go. I flashed to the Throne Room and saw Artemis with my son, Percy Jackson. To say I was overjoyed was an understatement. It was my first time seeing him in 3 years. I usually watched him, but ever sense he disappeared, I couldn't find him at all. Now he was right in front of me, accompanied by Artemis.

"As you can see, Artemis has found Perseus Jackson!" Zeus boomed.

"Percy…?" I squeaked, barely managing to form the words.

"Hey dad," Percy said, turning in my direction, smiling. "I missed you."

"Where did you go? What happened? Why did you leave? What about you and Annabeth? How d-" I began.

"Calm down dad, one question at a time," he interrupted. "I left camp and went into the forest 40 miles North. I left because… I… She…"

I saw tears well up in his eyes.

"It's okay Percy," I said, embracing him. "It's okay."

"Annabeth… she broke up with me," he croaked out before the tears started to spill.

"You're lying," Athena hissed. "My daughter would never do anything so stupid."

"Iris message her then," Percy said, glaring at her. "You'll see the truth then."

Athena just glared at him but complied and Iris messaged her daughter. I looked over and saw Annabeth sitting alone on the beach.

"What's there to see… other than her mourning over your disappearance," Athena spat.

"Just keep looking," Percy insisted. Athena sighed, but turned back to the Iris message. She saw Zeus' son, Martin walk over to her. Immediately, she perked up and they embraced and entered a deep kiss. Shocked, she swiped her hand through the message, ending it.

"I… I'm sorry…" she murmured, shocked. Percy sighed.

"Don't be," He said. "It's not your fault."

"Well, I hate to stop our little 'Reunion', but right now, I would like to know what you want to do next," Zeus sighed. "You have been missing for 3 years. Your friends are very worried about you. Do you want to return to camp?"

Percy immediately stiffened when Zeus said 'camp'.

"No," Percy said. "I don't want to go back to camp. I want to visit my friends briefly, then have things return to the way they were before Artemis brought me here."

Zeus appeared to be disappointed.

"Very well. We will let you visit your friends, but we will not let you go back to the way things were before," Zeus declared. He then looked at Artemis and they appeared to be locked in an intense mental discussion. Artemis was scowling, shaking her head, but Zeus was glaring at her. Eventually, Artemis sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Alright," Zeus announced happily. "Perseus, Artemis has agreed to let you accompany her and her hunters as a member of the hunt. Do you accept?"

I was flabbergasted. Artemis despised men. What did Zeus say to make her let him join?

"Well…" Percy started. "I guess I will, if it's fine with Artemis."

"I- " she started before Zeus glared at her. "I'm okay with it," she quickly corrected herself. Percy just smiled.

"Well, this meeting is over. Everyone, please return to your duties," Zeus said, disappearing in a brilliant flash of lighting and thunder. _Drama King._ I walked up to my son.

"It's good to have you back Percy. Also, don't go pissing off Artemis," I whispered to him. "I'd rather you stick around for a while"

Percy just grinned before walking up to Artemis.

Artemis' POV

Percy just refused to go to camp. I didn't think that would go well with Zeus, so I was surprised when he just said that he would find another option for him. I was wondering what he was going to suggest when he turned to me and sent me a mental message.

 _I want you to let him join your hunt as a member,_ he told me.

 _What?!_ I scowled, practically screaming. _I'm not going to let him join. He's a_ _ **male**_ _._

 _That doesn't matter. I can' let things go back to the way they were. You will let him join,_ my father insisted.

 _I swore off men father. Besides, all of my girls have done so as well. Last I checked, my Hunt wasn't open to men._ I hissed.

 _He saved you. He took the weight of the sky off of your shoulders to save you from Atlas. Without him, you wouldn't be here. Don't you think that he deserves a little compassion?_ _ **Especially**_ _after what he's gone through with that Annabeth girl?_ Zeus responded. I knew he was right, so I would make an exception. **This time**.

 _FINE._ I growled. My father just smiled in response, and spoke to Percy again.

"Alright," he announced happily. "Perseus, Artemis has agreed to let you accompany her and her hunters as a member of the hunt. Do you accept?"

I mentally growled in frustration. At least I didn't say that he would be treated well.

"Well…" Perseus started. "I guess I will, if it's fine with Artemis."

"I- " I started before my father gave me his "you said you would" glare. "I'm okay with it," I quickly corrected myself. I saw Perseus smile and glared at him.

"Well, this meeting is over. Everyone, please return to your duties," Zeus said, disappearing in a brilliant flash of lighting and thunder. _To think that he complains about others being dramatic._ I saw Poseidon walk up to Perseus and start whispering to him. Perseus grinned before walking up to me.

"When do we leave?" he asked happily.

"We leave now," I told him. "Don't expect to be treated nicely by my hunters."

"I'll manage," he smiled, still happy that I let him join the hunt.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Thalia has a couple of questions for you when you get there," I told him, containing a laugh. He froze, dread appearing on his face.

"You know, on second thought, perhaps we should leave tomorrow. Better yet, just tell me where you're camped and I'll just walk," he blurted out, not wanting to see Thalia anytime soon.

"Nope. Too late. Besides, you were so anxious to get there," I smirked, grabbing his hand. "Time to leave."

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" I heard Thalia yell when I flashed there with him. I heard him groan and try to leave, but I stopped him by yanking on his arm.

" **You** started this," I whispered to him. "So **you** will finish this."

 **A/N**

Another chapter out. Remember, please review. Still wondering if you guys would rather me make the stories shorter and post them faster, or keep them how they are? Development of Pertemis will start now. It will probably start as Artemis not turning him into an animal, or them just being friends.

Shorter chapters will be around 700 - 1000 words. Longer ones will be 2000+ like this one.

I will hopefully release 1 more chapters before March Break ends. After that, I won't be releasing chapters as quickly as I will be busy with homework.

Remember, feedback is greatly appreciated and if you are going to criticize the story, please tell me what is wrong with it and how it can be improved. Give an example as well. Don't just say "This story is terrible and a waste of time", tell me why, how I can improve it, and give me an example of what you want me to do. Also, before you even begin to say that it is a terrible story, create your own and make sure it is better than this one. Then, you can call it terrible.

Cya guys later.

xShadowSteel logging off.


	3. Confession

**A/N**

Sorry for taking so long. I thought that I would be done a lot sooner, but it took longer as I wasn't able to release it before March Break ended. Also, some people are complaining about Artemis being OOC. Well, guess what? Normally, she hates men, making Pertemis a none existent romance if she isn't OOC.

I'll be using 24 hour time instead of standard 12 hour time, so that I don't have to use 'am' and 'pm' as it gets annoying having to type one of them out whenever I mention the time.

Still not finished reading PJO, so don't be too upset if I mess up with a description or personality.

 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own PJO (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) or HOO (Heroes of Olympus). All rights go to Rick Riordan.

 **Legend:**

 _Italic:_ Thoughts/Telepathic Communication/Flashback

 **Bold:** New Category/Time Skip/Important (i.e. **A/N** , **Chapter X** , **X Years Later, Flashback,** etc.)

Underlined: Important/New POV (i.e. "He needs to do it", Percy's POV, Artemis' POV, etc.)

(Brackets): Explanation or author note.

 **Previously**

Artemis' POV

"Well, this meeting is over. Everyone, please return to your duties," Zeus said, disappearing in a brilliant flash of lighting and thunder. _To think that he complains about others being dramatic._ I saw Poseidon walk up to Perseus and start whispering to him. Perseus grinned before walking up to me.

"When do we leave?" he asked happily.

"We leave now," I told him. "Don't expect to be treated nicely by my hunters."

"I'll manage," he smiled, still happy that I let him join the hunt.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Thalia has a couple of questions for you when you get there," I told him, containing a laugh. He froze, dread appearing on his face.

"You know, on second thought, perhaps we should leave tomorrow. Better yet, just tell me where you're camped and I'll just walk," he blurted out, not wanting to see Thalia anytime soon.

"Nope. Too late. Besides, you were so anxious to get there," I smirked, grabbing his hand. "Time to leave."

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" I heard Thalia yell when I flashed there with him. I heard him groan and try to leave, but I stopped him by yanking on his arm.

" **You** started this," I whispered to him. "So **you** will finish this."

 **Chapter 3**

Percy's POV

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" Thalia yelled at me when Artemis flashed me there. _Oh, no. I think it's time for me to make a hasty retreat._ I slowly started inching away when Artemis grabbed my arm, and brought me back to my original spot.

" **You** started this," she whispered in my ear. "So **you** will finish this.'

"Come on, Artemis," I whined. "Have a heart. **Save** me."

She just grinned wickedly, and I knew this wouldn't end well.

"You're the hero of Olympus," she chided. "Surely you can handle a mere lieutenant of Artemis."

"Uh… um… Hey, Thals," I said, trying to appear relaxed as she walked towards me. I took a step back.

"Come on, Artemis, save me! I'll do anything," I pleaded.

"Anything?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Um… aside from chores," I said, quickly recovering. She looked disappointed but I could tell that she was trying to think of something.

"Practice archery every day for a minimum of one hour," she whispered to me. I froze, and quickly weighed my options. Be yelled at, electrocuted and tortured by Thalia, or practice archery with Artemis. I would choose archery any day.

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll practice archery," I told her.

"Swear it on the Styx," she demanded.

"I swear on the River Styx that I will practice archery with Artemis for 1 hour every day, unless she is not present," I said. Thunder boomed in the sky.

"Okay!" Artemis suddenly announced. "Thalia, as much as you would love to interrogate Perseus here, he will be joining the hunt by order of my father, Zeus, so he needs to come with me, and practice archery."

She turned to face me.

"Close your eyes," she told me and we disappeared in a brilliant flash of silver light.

Artemis' POV

"Well, Perseus, are you ready for your first training session for archery?" I asked.

"Yes…" he replied, appearing to regret his decision. "Can't we do it later?"

"Well, I told Thalia that we would be practicing archery, so that's what we will do," I told him.

"Come on… can't we do something else for a bit? Maybe visit my father… I haven't seen him in a while… maybe go to my mom? I haven't visited her in three years," he mumbled. "Oh CRAP! I haven't communicated with my mom for three years! She's going to KILL me!"

"Well… alright, we can visit your mom for a bit. I'm going to add fifteen minutes onto the hour for archery practice, though." I told him.

"That's fine… can you uh… you know… flash me there?" he asked me.

"Yes, I will, but I'll be coming along to make sure that you don't run away," I responded. "Remember, one hour and fifteen minutes of archery practice."

I grabbed his hand and flashed to his mom's apartment. She was a very nice lady, she even married someone just to save help Perseus. I looked over to him, and saw him start sweating.

"You're the one who wanted to come here," I huffed. "We're going inside."

I rang the doorbell and waited for a bit. Sally Jackson opened the door, and saw me.

"Hello, who are you?" she asked me, appearing to not recognize who I am.

"I'm Artemis, and I came here with your son Perseus… Perseus!" I shouted, finding him running into the streets. I dragged him to Sally and to say that he was nervous would be an understatement.

"Uh… Hi, mom," he said.

"Percy…?" she gasped. "Percy!"

I watched and smiled when she hugged Perseus.

"Perhaps we could come inside?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, of course," she replied. "Paul! We have visitors!"

I saw Perseus' step-father stare at him in shock.

"Percy? Is that really you?" he asked, not believing his eyes. "We thought… we thought that… that… you had d-died…"

"Of course it's me dad," Perseus said, smiling. "I'm sorry for not visiting you earlier, I was just… caught up in a lot of stuff."

"Let's discuss this inside," Perseus' dad said. "We don't need everyone to hear our discussion."

"There are some cookies on the table if you would like some," Sally told me.

"Thank you," I replied. "I hear that the thing that Perseus missed most was your food."

Sally just laughed.

"I'll be right back. Make yourself at home," she told me. I entered the dining room and saw a basket full of cookies. Blue cookies. _Interesting._ I took one and started eating it when I heard Perseus' and his dad talking on their way to the dining room.

"What happened?" Paul asked Perseus.

"Well… Annabeth… she dumped me," Perseus muttered.

"I'm sorry… she was never deserving of someone like you," his dad consoled him.

"Yeah… well, I have to leave soon to practice archery," Perseus told him. "I decided to join the Hunt, so Artemis is on my case about my archery skills."

"Don't they hate males though?"

"Artemis made a special exception for me after what I've been through… although it did take a little convincing from Zeus."

"Is Artemis the one who came with you?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, she was going to start the first archery class when I remembered that I hadn't visited you in three years." Perseus admitted.

"Ah… well, is she your… girlfriend?" Paul asked him. I was shocked that he would think that.

"No!" Perseus shouted. "She just came to make sure that I didn't run away… actually, I almost ran away at the door…"

"Are you sure?" Paul inquired. "It certainly seems like it to me. She made a special exception for you, came with you, teaches you archery…"

"Yes! She isn't!" Percy exclaimed as they entered the dining room. I looked at him and saw that his face was beet red.

"Isn't what?" I questioned him, pretending to not have heard their conversation.

"Uh… Artemis! I was just saying that you're not… uh… you know what? You don't need to know," Perseus blurted out, scrambling for an answer. I looked at him questioningly.

"Actually," Paul began, "I was wondering if you are Percy's new gir-"

"You know what?" Perseus interrupted. "I think that we should go back to my archery lessons. We've been here long enough. Bye mom, Paul! I'll Iris message you every day. Let's go Artemis!"

He grabbed my hand and I stared at him, but flashed away, deciding that he would need the archery practice.

Percy's POV

I walked inside with my step-father, Paul.

"What happened?" he asked me.

"Well… Annabeth… she dumped me," I responded glumly.

"I'm sorry… she was never deserving of someone like you," he consoled me.

"Yeah… well, I have to leave soon to practice archery," I told him. "I decided to join the Hunt, so Artemis is on my case about my archery skills."

"Don't they hate males?"

"Artemis made a special exception for me after what I've been through… although it did take a little convincing from Zeus."

"Artemis is teaching you archery?"

"Yeah, she was going to start the first archery class when I remembered that I hadn't visited you in three years," I admitted.

"Ah… well, is she your… girlfriend?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. I turned beet red.

"No!" I shouted. "She just came to make sure that I didn't run away… actually, I almost ran away at the door…"

"Are you sure? It certainly seems like it to me," he persisted. "She made a special exception for you, came with you, teaches you archery…"

"Yes! She isn't!" I exclaimed, right before we entered the dining room. My face felt like it was on fire, and then I heard her voice.

"Isn't what?" she questioned, looking at me strangely.

"Uh… Artemis! I was just saying that you're not… uh… you know what? You don't need to know," I blurted out, feeling my face turn redder.

"Actually," my step-father began, "I was wondering if you are Percy's new gir-"

"You know what?" I interrupted. "I think that we should go back to my archery lessons. We've been here long enough. Bye mom, Paul! I'll Iris message you every day. Let's go Artemis."

I grabbed her hand and she stared at me, but thankfully she flashed us away.

"So, Perseus, what was that about?" she asked me when we got there. I froze, completely forgetting that she was still with me.

"It's uh… not important. Why don't I start practicing archery now?" I asked, trying to avoid the subject.

"Fine…" she sighed. "Don't think that this is the end of our little chat."

I grabbed a quiver, slung it around my back and grabbed an arrow. She looked at me strangely before I realized that I needed a bow.

"I see that you have a lot to learn," she mused.

"I… uh… well… I don't often practice archery."

"That's pretty obvious. Forgot the most basic part."

She grabbed a quiver and started mocking me.

"Let's start archery practice!"

She took an arrow and held it as if she was preparing to fire it. She then let go of the fletching, and it dropped on the floor.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"Sooooo funny. Look at me, I'm dying of laughter."

I looked through a collection of bows on the rack.

"Which one is the easiest to use?" I asked, not sure which one was right for a beginner like me.

"First of all," she began, "you won't be using the arrows in that quiver that you have slung over your shoulder. You will be using these."

She grabbed a bunch of arrows with dull points, and swapped the arrows in my quiver. She then proceeded to scan the bows, and chose a long, big one and handed it to me.

"There is no 'easy to use' bow, it just depends on which one is right for you. This long one should be easier for you to handle. It isn't like a sword; you have to be gentle."

I sighed. I nocked an arrow, and pulled back on the string. I pulled it back as far as I could, tried aiming it at the target, and released. It was nowhere near the target. In fact, I couldn't even see it. I looked behind me, and saw Artemis, holding the arrow two cm away from her chest.

"I knew you were bad, but not **this** bad," was her only response. I chuckled nervously.

"Perhaps a little… **motivation** will prove useful to you. You may not eat until you hit the target. After you eat, we will continue with another hour of practice."

I groaned.

"Can't we compromise?" I pleaded. "I won't be able to work well if I'm unable to eat you know. I'm starving as well."

"So hit the target. It isn't rocket science. Watch."

I watched Artemis shoot an arrow that hit the dead center of the target.

"See? Easy."

"Yeah. Easy."

"Yep. Give me a second."

She grabbed a large piece of glass, walked back about 5 meters on my left side, then set the piece of glass down. I just looked at her.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot!"

I grabbed an arrow, nocked it, then fired. It hit the piece of glass in the top left corner.

"Getting better. At least it didn't go straight back this time."

My ears started burning from embarrassment. I quickly nocked another arrow, but before I could fire, Artemis stopped me.

"Stop! Everything is wrong! The way you're holding the bow is wrong, the way you're standing is wrong, the way you have the bow positioned is wrong… everything!"

She walked up to me and started fixing my position.

"You hold it like this… Make sure that the bow is straight… Move your feet further apart… Yes… Stay in that position."

She just walked over to the side this time, not bothering to go behind the piece of glass. I glared at her. She was obviously making a point that she didn't trust me at all. I looked back at the target and readjusted my bow and positioning, and released. Right before I released, I saw her dive into her little 'cover'. The arrow hit the spot where she was, just a few seconds ago. I glared at her; she obviously didn't trust my prowess with a bow. Before I could nock another arrow, she took my bow away, along with the quiver.

"Forget it. You don't have to hit the target. I no longer trust you with a bow. I want you to practice entering and exiting a shooting position." She paused. "If you know how to do it."

I had to work on my form for 30 minutes before she gave me back my bow, but without any arrows. I sighed. The entire session consisted of me working on my form, with Artemis constantly complaining and correcting me.

1 hour had finally passed, and I couldn't wait to get to the Hunters' camp. I smiled, remembering that it was also my camp as well. I was thinking about Camp Half-Blood, knowing that the hunters – no, **we** were going to the camp soon for a game of CTF (Capture the Flag). I thought about how nice it would be to defeat the campers, especially Martin and Annabeth. I was visualizing the battle and thinking about how it might go.

"Your tent is set up near a creek in a secluded area so that you won't be pranked while sleeping," Artemis said, snapping me out of my reverie. "I'll get you a watch later with a feature to teleport you there and back so that you don't need my help. Right now you can get there through a portal in your tent in the camp that only you and I can access. Also, you won't have any chores this week because you're new, but you'll have to watch others do theirs and learn what you need to do."

"Thank you, Lady Artemis."

"Also, you may want to avoid Thalia. If she confronts you, I may not be able to save you."

I froze, remembering that Thalia was probably going to kill me.

"Can I sleep somewhere else tonight?"

"Nope. You have no choice on that matter. Besides, you don't even sleep in camp. Anyways, today you will have to get the hunters to warm up to you, or else you may find yourself caught in a net, or drifting down the creek."

"Please?"

"I didn't know that the savior of Olympus was such a scaredy cat."

"Hey, scared is better than dead, and besides, I rather like living."

"Tough luck. We leave now."

"Why don't I walk there?"

"You aren't getting out of this Perseus."

She grabbed my hand and flashed us to the camp before I could protest any further.

She teleported us in front of my tent.

"You have 48 minutes to explore. After that, you have to come back for lunch. I better not have to come and get you."

As soon as she left, I headed into the forest. I was just wandering around when I entered a clearing. I was on a cliff that was overhanging a beach. The water was lapping against the side of the cliff. You could see the sun perfectly overhead. It felt tranquil and peaceful. I knew that I would want to come back here. I stared at the ocean, letting it calm me. I lost track of time, and heard the horn for lunch. I quickly got up and ran to my tent. I saw Artemis waiting for me, looking slightly peeved.

"I thought I told you to be on time."

"Sorry. I lost track of time."

"Remind me to get a watch later. Although you'll probably lose track of time even with it."

"I'm not that bad," I scowled. "Are we going back to the camp?"

She nodded her head and flashed us there.

When we got there, I saw Thalia waiting for us. Or, more specifically, me. I sighed. This wasn't going to end well for me, but I might as well get it done sooner rather than later.

"Happy to see me Lightning Bug?" I asked, trying to sound calm.

"Save it, Jackson. You and me are going to have a little chat, **friend**."

I gulped. I didn't like the way that she said the word 'friend'. Thalia grabbed my arm and dragged me off. I looked pleadingly at Artemis, but she just gave a look that said "You're on your own this time."

"So, how's it going?"

No response. Somehow, that was worse than her yelling at me. She just dragged me forward in silence, not bothering to respond, despite my best efforts. Eventually, we stopped, and she threw me into a tent, and locked the door/tent flap. I saw her hands crackle with electricity, and gulped nervously.

"Before you do anything rash, why don't we talk about this?"

"Three years, Jackson. THREE BLOODY YEARS!" she yelled at me, throwing a bolt of lightning at me. I was vaguely aware of her saying something along the lines of not telling anybody. It hurt like hell, being shocked by that bolt of lightning. Just as the seizure subsided, she punched me, making sure that her fist was electrified. I felt a shock course through my body as I spasmed on the floor. I groaned on the floor, feeling like I had just been run over by a truck. An electrified one at that. I looked at Thalia and could tell that she was still pissed off.

"You better have a good reason for this, **seaweed-brain** ," she spat venomously, "or I'll make Tartarus seem like a paradise to you."

"Ok, ok. No more shocking please. I've had enough problems for one lifetime," I pleaded.

"You have some nerve coming to the hunt – no, **joining** the hunt, and pretending that nothing happened, so you better start talking. **Now**."

"Alright, alright. I left camp because I found… I found…"

I choked back some tears, remembering the incident.

"You found what?" Thalia asked.

"I found out that Annabeth was cheating on me with the new kid, Martin, okay?" I snapped. I didn't like being reminded of that incident. Thalia frowned.

"What happened after that?"

"I don't know… I vaguely remember heat and yelling at Annabeth and Martin. Then rain began pouring down and I ran away."

"Heat? What was the exact date?"

"The… the day that I came back."

"Came back from where?"

"I don't want to talk about it…"

"Why not?"

"Go ask Athena… or… Annabeth."

"Percy, were you going to propose to her?"

I stiffened immediately. I didn't like being reminded about that day, what I was going to do, or where I had been. Tears threatened to show.

"I already told you, go ask Athena."

"Is it a yes or a no?" she persisted.

"I TOLD YOU, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" I screamed, running out of the tent, leaving Thalia standing there, dumbfounded. I went to my tent and teleported to my sleeping area, then ran into the forest and collapsed at the place that I had found earlier, sobbing. The incident still hurt me and I hated talking about it. I spent two years gaining Athena's blessing for me to marry Annabeth. Two years just for me to be dumped. I just released my anger, creating a storm cloud above the area, but making sure that it wouldn't reach the hunters. I watched the ocean grow more turbulent, but didn't care. I let the rain hit me, not caring if I was wet. Somewhere in my brain, I recognized a small voice whisper:

"Perseus?"

Artemis' POV

I was looking for Perseus as he needed to learn how to do his chores, so I went to Thalia's tent.

"Thalia? Where is Perseus?" I asked.

"He… ran off," she said. "I was asking him if he was going to propose to Annabeth, and he said he didn't want to talk about it and ran off."

"I'm going to go look for him," I sighed. "Make sure to do your chores."

I flashed to his tent but couldn't find him. I walked over to a clearing. I knew it was there and put Perseus' tent nearby because Poseidon demanded that I treat him well, and that he needed an area to go to cool off. The clearing was a beautiful area, and I knew that Perseus would find the spot while roaming. When I got to the area, I saw a huge storm, confined to the one area. There were dark grey clouds looming over the area, blocking out the sun. Perseus was sitting at the edge of the cliff with his arms wrapped around his legs. I could hear him crying over the sound of the storm, and felt a pang of sympathy.

"Perseus?" I whispered from the cover of the trees. He slowly turned around and looked at me, sorrow in his eyes. I could almost feel the pain that he was suffering. He just stared at me before turning back to the ocean. The storm died down and he immediately became dry. I slowly approached him and sat down beside him.

"What happened?" I asked, turning to face him after 5 minutes of silence. His eyes were red from crying and sorrow was etched into the lines of his face.

"Thalia… she…" Tears started forming in Perseus' eyes. "She reminded me of that day."

I knew that it was a sensitive subject. I put my hand on his, trying to comfort him.

"There is some food in your cabin," I told him. "You missed lunch, so that's all that you'll be able to eat."

"Thanks…" Perseus mumbled.

"Dinner is at 18:30. Make sure to be there because don't have enough food for two meals. Also, comb your hair, it's a mess. Be in your hunter outfit as well: if you're going to be a hunter, then you better dress like a hunter."

"Yes, mother. Do you have any more demands for me?"

"Just for that, you can do all of the dishes."

"No, wait, can't we compromise? You said no chores until next week."

"Fine… but next week…"

I heard a loud boom, Zeus' way of summoning a meeting.

"I have to go. Remember, 18:30 sharp." I flashed away leaving Perseus by himself.

The meeting was the same as always. Boring. No interesting subjects were brought up. Nothing was going wrong. After the meeting, Poseidon approached me.

"How's Percy doing?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"He's doing fine, uncle. You don't need to worry about the hunters pulling pranks on him at night. I set his tent in a completely different area," I reassured him.

"Are you sure? I felt the waves grow more wild," he inquired.

"Yes. He… was reminded of the day when he left. Fortunately, and thanks to you, I made sure that he had a nice place to go to. Otherwise, he might've destroyed something in his anger," I told him. "However, I did have to try to calm him down."

"Thank you, niece," Poseidon said, relieved. "You should probably go back to the hunt now."

"Yes, I should. Goodbye uncle," I said before flashing away to the hunt. When I got there, I Perseus hugging Thalia.

"It's okay… you didn't know," he whispered to her. She stayed in his embrace for a while, and if she said anything, I didn't catch it. After a bit, she left towards the dinner table (Special name for this?). I confronted Perseus.

"Why were you hugging my lieutenant, Perseus?" I questioned him. He froze in terror and slowly turned around, meeting my eyes.

"I-It's not what you think it is!" he blurted out, appearing frightened by the prospect of him being turned into a Jackelope.

"And why should I believe you, **boy** ," I hissed, playing with his fear knowing full well that it wasn't what he thought I thought it looked like.

"Because, uh… because… because I'm trustworthy?" Perseus said. He looked at me, as if pleading me to not turn him into a Jackelope.

"Fine. Just this one time, I'll let it go. But if it ever happens again…" I said, letting the threat trail off. He visibly gulped, before saying thank you and running off for dinner. I looked at the sun and realized that it was already 18:26. I hurried after Perseus and Thalia as the dinner table was on the other side of the camp. When I got there, I saw Thalia, but no Perseus. _Probably got lost. If he doesn't arrive soon he won't get dinner_. Then, right on cue, in came Perseus. I took my place the table (3 chairs x 15 chairs. Total of 36 chairs.), and watched Perseus look around, not knowing where to sit. Finally, he just took a spot by the tree.

After dinner, some of my hunters practiced archery, while others did the dishes. Also, unknown to poor Perseus over there, some of them were planting traps in front of his tent (His tent in the camp that he is able to use to get to his other tent). I was about to leave for my tent, when I heard a laugh. A very familiar laugh. "Kronos…"

 **A/N**

Another chapter out. Remember, please review. Still wondering if you guys would rather me make the stories shorter and post them faster, or keep them how they are?

Shorter chapters will be around 1500 - 2000 words. Longer ones will be 3000+ like this one.

Remember, feedback is greatly appreciated and if you are going to criticize the story, please tell me what is wrong with it and how it can be improved. Give an example as well. Don't just say "This story is terrible and a waste of time", tell me why, how I can improve it, and give me an example of what you want me to do. Also, before you even begin to say that it is a terrible story, create your own and make sure it is better than this one. Then, you can call it terrible.

Cya guys later.

xShadowSteel logging off.


	4. The Hunt

**A/N**

Chapter 4! This one is a shorter chapter, just so that you know the difference between my short and long chapters.

Still not finished reading PJO, so don't be too upset if I mess up with a description or personality.

 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own PJO (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) or HOO (Heroes of Olympus). All rights go to Rick Riordan.

 **Legend:**

 _Italic:_ Thoughts/Telepathic Communication/Flashback

 **Bold:** New Category/Time Skip/Important (i.e. **A/N** , **Chapter X** , **X Years Later, Flashback,** etc.)

Underlined: Important/New POV (i.e. "He needs to do it", Percy's POV, Artemis' POV, etc.)

(Brackets): Explanation or author note.

 **Previously** Artemis' POV

After dinner, some of my hunters practiced archery, while others did the dishes. Also, unknown to poor Perseus over there, some of them were planting traps in front of his tent (His tent in the camp that he is able to use to get to his other tent). I was about to leave for my tent, when I heard a laugh. A very familiar laugh. "Kronos…"

 **Chapter 4** Percy's POV

I watched the hunters do the dishes as Lady Artemis requested. They had an effective system in place – 2 people wash, 1 person dries, 1 person puts away. When I thought that I had learned enough, I decided to go to the archery range and watch people sharpen their arrows. I also had to practice firing a bow. I grabbed a bow and quiver, then entered my shooting stance. I drew the bow, and fired with my eyes closed. When I opened them, I saw my arrow in the ground right in front of the target [Base looks sort of like this: _\|_ (\ = Percy's arrow. | = bottom part of the target.)]. _Note to self. Pull the string further back._ I heard some of the hunters laugh at me, but I felt proud of that shot. It actually went forward and right in front of where I was aiming. That was a miracle for me, a son of Poseidon. I didn't want to shoot another arrow in fear of completely failing, so I watched some of the hunters sharpen their arrows. They used knives to sharpen their arrows, and I sighed. It wouldn't be easy sharpening the arrows. I headed to my tent in the camp when I suddenly found myself flipped upside-down. I looked up and saw a rope tied to my ankle. _Joy. The pranks have started._ I sighed, and uncapped my sword, riptide. I sliced the rope and as I was falling, I saw Artemis fighting Kronos through a gap in the trees. I gasped, and sounded the alarm before running to Artemis. She was covered in cuts, but had managed to slice open one of Kronos' legs. They had both heard the alarm, and Kronos was trying to finish the battle while Artemis was trying to stall. I uncapped riptide while going behind Kronos and then I charged, slicing off his already wounded leg. He roared in pain and took a wild swipe at me. His eyes glowed gold as I was trying to dodge, and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for pain, but when I felt none, I opened them. I had dodged his fist. Somehow, his powers over time didn't affect me. Kronos had a look of pure fury on his face, furious that I had still dodged his blow despite him using his powers over time. In the corner of my eye, I saw Artemis staring at me, as if trying to figure out what just transpired. I turned back to Kronos just in time to see his scythe swinging down at me. I narrowly dodged it, only to get hit by his knee. I groaned in pain, and looked up to see him standing. He had rewound time to regain his other leg, but he looked exhausted. I reengaged him, but I wasn't strong enough. Every time I blocked, the impact would almost rip Anaklusmos from my grip. It quickly became apparent that I needed assistance, and I saw Artemis still staring at me, shocked.

"Lady Artemis, I know that I have a great body, but why don't we focus on Kronos?" I said, trying to get her attention. She snapped out of her reverie and turned bright red, but turned away and started shooting arrows at Kronos right after he smashed my ribs with his foot. I heard the distinct sound of ribs cracking, and I gasped in pain. I looked up to see Kronos slow down time to throw me into a tree. He dodged the arrows with ease afterwards, his power over time making it almost impossible for her to hit him. Kronos ran up to Artemis and she brandished her hunting knives. They engaged, but it was growing more and more obvious that Kronos was going to win. I tried to get up, but my muscles refused to listen to me. I could only watch. Kronos had learned from their previous skirmish, the one from before I intervened, and adapted to her fighting style. My vision was growing blurry, and I could no longer make out what was happening. I tried to fight it off. I was going to protect Artemis, and I was going to defeat Kronos. I lost track of time as I tried to stand up again. After an unknown amount of time, I managed to get off the ground.

"Kronos!" I screamed, struggling to my feet. He turned to face me, and I felt a painful pull in my gut before losing consciousness and falling onto the ground.

Artemis' POV

Perseus joined my battle with Kronos by cleanly slicing his leg off. Kronos took a wild swipe at Perseus with his fist, his eyes glowing gold. I knew that he was going to be hit, so I drew my bow and prepared to fire it, when I saw Perseus dodge the fist, unaffected by Kronos' manipulation of time. I stared at him, wondering what happened. I was lost in thought, trying to figure out what had happened, while the battle between Kronos and Perseus wasn't registered by my brain.

"Lady Artemis," I heard Perseus call out, "I know that I have a great body, but why don't we focus on Kronos?"

I snapped back to my senses and felt my face heat up, but I started firing arrows at Kronos again. I could deal with Perseus later. I got Kronos' attention, and he slowed time down to destroy the arrows that I was shooting at him, but not before taking the time to throw Perseus at a tree. I picked up the speed that I was firing arrows at, angry at myself for not helping Perseus earlier. Kronos just slowed down time, making it easy for him to dodge the arrows. I glared at him and brandished my hunting knives, knowing that my bow would be useless in this fight. We started circling each other, feinting, when Kronos suddenly lunged at me with his scythe. I managed to block and went for a counterattack, but Kronos' scythe was already there. _Dammit! He's already figured out my fighting style._ I grimaced. All I could do now was stall for time, and hope that my hunters could find me in time and bring the other Olympians. Kronos swung his scythe at me and I raised my knives up to block, not realizing that it was a feint. He reversed the direction of his scythe and struck my head with the snath of his scythe. He disarmed me as I fell, pointing his scythe at my throat.

"Gration is going to have fun with you," Kronos laughed. "He has made many plans for his wedding with you."

"I think that you should tell the bastard that I will never marry him," I spat. Kronos laughed again.

"I don't think you'll have much choice in that."

He summoned a pair of Celestial Bronze shackles, and as he moved closer to me, he suddenly froze midstride, and flames engulfed his body. Right after, he was hit in the face by a massive chunk of earth. I gasped. None of my hunters were able to freeze someone, light them on fire, or manipulate the earth. The only explanation was Perseus. Not to mention, he passed out at the same time that Kronos was attacked. I looked over to Kronos and saw him unconscious on the ground. I shackled him, then flashed Perseus, Kronos and myself to Olympus. My father, Zeus was sitting on his throne appearing to be deep in thought.

"Father! Call an emergency meeting," I told him. He looked at me questioningly, but summoned the council. All of them gasped and stared in shock at Kronos and Perseus.

"Kronos tried to kidnap/kill me just now, but Perseus intervened. He did something that I never knew he could do," I explained. "He froze Kronos, set him on fire, and hit him with a chunk of earth."

They all stared quizzically at Perseus.

"I... think that Perseus may have frozen Kronos in time," Athena said slowly. "If Kronos was set on fire, he couldn't have been encased with ice or earth."

"But Perseus never gained the ability to use time!" Poseidon protested. "Nor did he gain the ability to use fire or wind."

"It's the only logical explanation," I told him. "Perseus passed out at the same time as Kronos froze, was set on fire and hit by a chunk of earth. No one else was nearby either, aside from my hunters, who cannot do any of what Perseus did."

"If he can defeat Kronos like that, then he is a threat to Olympus and must be contained!" Zeus exclaimed, preparing his Master Bolt to smite Perseus.

"If you touch him, I will kill you!" Poseidon roared.

"I think that we should wait for him to wake up first," I suggested. "That way, we'll hear his opinion and perhaps how he was able to do it."

"Fine," Zeus huffed. "But, once he wakes up, we better get an answer. Meeting di-"

"Wait!" I interrupted. "What are we going to do with Kronos?"

"I don't care… do whatever! He's in your care. Meeting dismissed!"

I sighed. _What am I going to do with him?_ I decided to chain him to a tree near Perseus tent. When I was there, I looked at the cliff, wishing that it was still my getaway place. I went there to calm down, but I didn't want to displease uncle Poseidon and lose his favor, so I gave it up to Perseus. _Oh well._ I set an invisible box around Kronos that could only be opened from outside, just to make sure he doesn't escape. I entered Apollo's temple to check on Perseus. While he is a male, he is still one of my hunters.

"Apollo!" I yelled.

"For Hades sake," Apollo groaned, "stop yelling. I can hear you clearly."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I said dismissively. "Where is Perseus room?"

"Is this Artemis I'm talking to?" he gasped, feigning shock. "Worried for the health of a male? What is the world coming to?"

"Shut up, he's one of my hunters, it's an obligation," I snapped

"Wait, I know! Has my little sister found looooove?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"For the last time, I'm **older** than you, and no, he's one of my **hunters** , it's an **obligation**. How hard is it to get that through your thick skull?" I said, exasperated. "Now tell me where his room is before I put an arrow through your family jewels."

"Okay, okay, sheesh. No need to get so violent," he replied, covering his jewels. "He's in the 1st room to your left down the hallway."

I walked into the room and saw Perseus on a bed, still unconscious. I pulled up a chair and sat beside him after shutting and locking the door so that Apollo couldn't sneak in. I looked at him, worried. He risked his life to save me, and I had yet to repay him.

"Wake up soon," I whispered to him, taking his hand. I looked at his face one last time before getting up and leaving. I flashed to the hunt, wanting to clear my thoughts. I saw them eating lunch, and realized how long I had been gone for.

"Hunters!" I shouted. "Our newest member, Perseus Jackson, is currently unable to join us on today's hunt. As for what we're hunting, we will be trying to intercept small groups of monsters before they meet up with other ones. With Kronos back up, they can't be too far behind."

My hunters started packing up immediately. I went to my tent to pack up as well.

We were ready in 5 minutes, and departed immediately. I focused my mind on the hunt, knowing that we had to find the monsters immediately so that we could reduce the number of monsters that would be there for the upcoming battle. I told the hunters to start without me so that I could quickly check up on Kronos.

I flashed to Perseus' tent and saw Kronos still there, still unconscious or unmoving, still shackled, and still encased in the invisible box. I sighed in relief. I knew that monsters couldn't get in the area thanks to an intricately placed mist, but one can't be too cautious. I flashed back to my hunters to help them, and I saw Thalia looking at a group of 100 or so monsters. I had 32 hunters, so we should be able to take them out. I nodded to Thalia and she gave the signal to fire. Arrows rained down on the monsters taking them by surprise. However, they quickly regrouped and charged at us.

"Draw your hunting knives!" I shouted, knowing that close-ranged combat would be more efficient than using our bows at this moment. We had already taken out around half of the monsters, so we should only receive minor injuries, if any.

The monsters were dispatched quickly, and, fortunately, none of my hunters sustained any injuries. I heard a loud boom and looked up to see lightning, signaling an emergency meeting.

"Find a clearing to set up camp," I told them. "I need to go to Olympus."

When I flashed to Olympus, I saw Perseus standing next to Apollo. I realized what was going to take place, and feared for Perseus' life.

"Now that everyone is here, let's begin," Zeus said, turning to face Perseus. "Perseus Jackson, recently, you defeated Kronos and was able to manipulate time, fire, and earth. If you want to live, you will explain to us how you gained the ability to use those powers."

"I don't know," Perseus replied, looking confused. "At the time, I was just focused on protecting Lady Artemis and defeating Kronos."

"Well, since you can't explain it, I guess that means I can kill you," Zeus said, smirking. "Any last words?"

"Wait!" I called out, drawing everyone's attention. "What is your reasoning to kill Perseus? If it's that he's not loyal, he's already sworn an oath to me and his fatal flaw is loyalty."

Zeus' smirk disappeared, and he frowned. "Why are you so intent on saving Perseus, daughter?"

"He's saved Olympus twice and rescued me from Atlas. I think that's reason enough," I said. "He hasn't done anything to deserve death either, and he's one of my hunters."

He grimaced, knowing that he couldn't argue against my argument. "Fine. I won't kill him."

"Swear on the Styx," I demanded.

"I swear on the River Styx that I will not kill Perseus Jackson unless he is found deserving of death by the council," he growled. "Meeting dismissed."

Poseidon flashed me a grateful smile for saving his son before leaving. Perseus just stared at me in shock, not expecting me to defend him.

"What?" I snapped.

"Hm? Oh… um… uh… why did you defend me?"

I sighed. "You saved me three times, it wouldn't be right if I just had you killed off."

"Oh," came his oh so intelligible reply. "Well, uh… thanks."

"Your welcome. Anyways, you missed out on our hunt, so you can do all of the chores for today."

"Oh, come on… I just woke up. Have a heart, will you?"

"I already saved your life, Jackson."

"I saved you three times."

"I'm immortal. I can reform. You cannot."

"So? I saved you around 4.5 millennia of waiting (1.5 thousand years to reform.)."

"Technically, you only saved me 1.5 millennia as I wouldn't have been around for the other two times."

"Come on… it would be boring for you, while I would have the time of my life in Elysium."

"Fine. You don't have to sharpen the arrows, but you still have to do the other chores."

"Ah… well, it's better than doing everything."

Perseus grimaced, knowing that he had a lot of work to do. He still had to befriend the hunters, but now he had to start doing chores. I merely smirked at him before grabbing his hand and flashing us to The Hunt.

 **A/N**

Another chapter out. Remember, please review. Still wondering if you guys would rather me make the stories shorter and post them faster, or keep them how they are?

This is a shorter chapter, so you can compare it to the longer ones.

Remember, feedback is greatly appreciated and if you are going to criticize the story, please tell me what is wrong with it and how it can be improved. Give an example as well. Don't just say "This story is terrible and a waste of time", tell me why, how I can improve it, and give me an example of what you want me to do. Also, before you even begin to say that it is a terrible story, create your own and make sure it is better than this one. Then, you can call it terrible.

Cya guys later.

xShadowSteel logging off.


	5. Hell

**A/N**

Very, very sorry about being so late. I just had 3 tests and I have to prepare for 2 more quizzes. Received some feedback about the fight scene in chapter 4 and updated it, so if you haven't reread it yet, you may want to do so.

Sorry if my fight scenes aren't the best, I'm still trying to get better with them. I'll add more later on when I get better, but for now I'm probably going to skip the majority of them.

Still not finished reading PJO, so don't be too upset if I mess up with a description or personality.

 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own PJO (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) or HOO (Heroes of Olympus). All rights go to Rick Riordan.

 **Legend:**

 _Italic:_ Thoughts/Telepathic Communication/Flashback

 **Bold:** New Category/Time Skip/Important (i.e. **A/N** , **Chapter X** , **X Years Later, Flashback,** etc.)

Underlined: Important/New POV (i.e. "He needs to do it", Percy's POV, Artemis' POV, etc.)

(Brackets): Explanation or author note.

 **Previously**

Artemis' POV

"I'm immortal. I can reform. You cannot."

"So? I saved you around 4.5 millennia of waiting (1.5 thousand years to reform.)."

"Technically, you only saved me 1.5 millennia as I wouldn't have been around for the other two times."

"Come on… it would be boring for you, while I would have the time of my life in Elysium."

"Fine. You don't have to sharpen the arrows, but you still have to do the other chores."

"Ah… well, it's better than doing everything."

Perseus grimaced, knowing that he had a lot of work to do. He still had to befriend the hunters, but now he had to start doing chores. I merely smirked at him before grabbing his hand and flashing us to The Hunt.

 **Chapter 5**

Percy's POV

I was instantly greeted by cold glares from the hunters – They probably thought that I sounded a false alarm, although, just the fact that I'm a boy is enough to earn those looks of pure disgust and hatred. I noticed that several hunters had devious smiles on their faces. I gulped, knowing that my life was just about to be turned into a living hell.

"Alright girls, settle down," Artemis commanded. "Perseus here has recovered from his injuries, and will now start doing his chores. You are all free from them except for sharpening arrows for this week."

I stared at her, mouth agape.

"You said only 1 day though," I whined.

"Well, I changed my mind," she replied, smirking. "You can now do the chores for 2 weeks."

"What?! But Th-" I said before being cut off.

"3 weeks."

"Bu-"

"1 month"

I shut up, knowing that arguing would only get me a longer sentence.

"Yes, Lady Artemis," I groaned. I knew that I would have to do all the chores at some point, but I didn't think that it would be this soon.

Night fell quickly and I just finished doing the dishes for the final time today. I sighed and walked to my tent stretching my muscles and back. I was surprised when I didn't find any traps set up in front of my tent, but as soon as I entered it, I was caught by surprise. I was immediately lifted up by a net. I exhaled in frustration. Here I was, thinking that the hunters were being nice to me, only to find out that the trap was inside my bloody tent! Thankfully, I had my trusty sword in my pocket. I uncapped it and sliced open to the rope, and headed towards the teleporter. Just to get trapped again. I cursed silently before cutting myself free again. Fortunately, I made it to my sleeping quarters without any more problems. When I got there, I was ready to just drop on the ground and sleep. I barely managed to get to my bed before passing out.

I woke to the sound of birds chirping. I smiled. The morning was my one peaceful moment before I had to do chores and suffer from the hunters' pranks. I walked over to the cliff to relax before beginning my day, only to find Artemis already sitting there. I stayed by the tree line hoping that she wouldn't notice me, but knowing my luck, she probably would.

"Perseus," she said as I was about to head back to my tent (I'm going to call the tent that he sleeps in 'his tent' and his tent that's in the hunters' camp 'his room'). I froze in place.

"Er… uh… hi?" came my brilliant response. She turned around to face me.

"Glad to see that you're up early for once," she said.

"Um… thanks?" I said hesitantly. "What are you doing here? I thought that I was the only one who knew about this place."

"If I didn't know about this place, you wouldn't be here," she stated bluntly.

"What do you mean by that?" I inquired. She sighed.

"You're paranoid father insisted that I place your tent in a location separate from that of the hunt and that I place it nearby an area that you could calm down in. This was the only place that I could think of as I often come here myself to relax," she explained. "Also, I was more or less using you to test out my theory which you proved incorrect."

"Theory? What theory?" I asked, cutting her off.

"If you let me finish, I would've told you already," she said, exasperated. I stopped talking. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying, I was using you to test my theory which is that I'm the only one able to enter this place. You see, there is an intricately placed mist that prevents monsters, humans and most demigods as well as gods from entering. For some reason, I am able to enter, but when my brother, Apollo tried flashing in, he was outside of the area, and when he tried to enter, he found himself on the other side. My hunters aren't able to enter either, but you are able to. Which leaves me confused."

She looked at me, and I obviously looked like I had no idea what she was saying.

"Well, I don't expect you to be able to figure out what's going on, of course. After all, your intellect can only rival that of a peas'," she mused, smirking.

"Hey, I'm not that stupid," I protested. "I mean, I'm smarter than Apollo, aren't I?"

"True, but Apollo's IQ is less than even that of a rocks'," she said before looking at the sky. "Well, it's time for you to start preparing breakfast. Oh, yeah. You'll also have to hunt for more meat. We ran out."

I groaned. I ran back to my tent and looked at my calendar. _Day two of Hell._ I stepped onto the teleporter and instantly found myself in my room. In a net. I cursed loudly, not caring if anyone heard me. I found Anaklusmos in my pocket and cut the net open. Just to land on a bunch of marbles. I slipped and fell on the marbles. Hard. They dug into my back and I suddenly lost the will to do anything. I just laid there for a while, despite my back protesting in agony.

Artemis' POV

I flashed back to the hunt after telling Perseus to do his chores. It was almost time for breakfast, so I went to check on him. When I entered the kitchen, I saw nothing. No food, no knives, no cutting board, no Perseus. _Wait a second. No Perseus?_ I went to his room, furious that he was slacking off. I pushed the flap away when I got there, and saw him lying there on a bed of marbles.

"PERSEUS!" I yelled, pissed off.

"Go away mom," he said tiredly, before looking up and seeing me. His face screamed 'OH SHIT!' and he jumped to his feet. Only to find himself slipping on the marbles and falling on them once again. "Ugh," he groaned. "Do I have to make breakfast?"

"Yes!" I said. "Now get your lazy ass of the floor and start cooking!"

He groaned again before slowly crawling off the marbles and onto his feet. He looked at me pleadingly as if asking me to help him.

"I'll get Thalia to help you cook if you want," I told him. "However, if it tastes terrible, you will be the one held responsible."

"Um, no thanks! I'm good! I'll do it by myself!" he blurted out before running outside of his room. I chuckled to myself, but he suddenly burst back in.

"What do you want this time, Perseus?" I asked.

"Er… uh… Will you help me?"

"Now tell me, why should I do that?"

"Because… because… because I asked? Come on, please? I just got pranked."

"Fine. But I'll only help you with one thing, so choose one."

"Um… cooking!" he said before running off again. I sighed, but went to the kitchen and set up. I walked back outside and had all my hunters gather in the center.

"Listen up!" I shouted. "Breakfast will be served late thanks to the hunters who decided to set a trap in his room. Next time, know that there will be consequences when you prank him."

I walked back to the kitchen in time to see Perseus dragging a deer into the kitchen along with some herbs and vegetables.

"I can't cook," he apologized, "so you're going to have to do all of it."

I sighed. Looks like making breakfast, lunch and dinner are out of question for him. I prepared the meat, draining the deer's blood, removing its bones and intestines, etc. I boiled water and put the vegetables in it before cooking the meat.

I finished cooking and told Perseus to serve. He put plates around the table and set the food down in the center of the table.

"Breakfast is ready!" he announced, earning the attention of the hunters who quickly sat down around the table, eager to eat. They devoured the food and got up to start practicing archery.

"Thank you for helping me," Perseus whispered to me before heading towards the archery range. I smiled and followed him, only to see him miss the target by a mile. I watched the arrow fly forward, and saw it hit a target that made me gasp.

 **A/N**

Once again, I'm very sorry for taking so long, but I will probably only be posting new chapters on the weekends.

Percy will probably learn how he got his new powers in chapter 7.

Remember, feedback is greatly appreciated and if you are going to criticize the story, please tell me what is wrong with it and how it can be improved. Give an example as well. Don't just say "This story is terrible and a waste of time", tell me why, how I can improve it, and give me an example of what you want me to do. Also, before you even begin to say that it is a terrible story, create your own and make sure it is better than this one. Then, you can call it terrible.

Cya guys later.

xShadowSteel logging off.


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